A rookie free agent visited Gillette Stadium on the eve of the preseason opener.

The New England Patriots hosted cornerback B.J. Mayes for a workout on Thursday, as first reported by KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson.

Mayes, 22, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft. The 6-foot, 187-pound corner was waived by the reigning Super Bowl champions two weeks into training camp, opening a roster spot for long snapper Christian Johnstone.

The collegiate career spanned 43 games through stops at Incarnate Word, UAB and Texas A&M for Mayes. He recorded 124 tackles and 35 pass...

With a dozen training camp practices, including three walkthroughs and one joint session, in the books, the New England Patriots now turn their attention to preseason game No. 1 Friday night.

With the competition ramping up across the roster, let’s revisit six positional battles that were considered the biggest question marks entering training camp.

Starting left guard

It took just one week of practice for a leading candidate to clearly establish himself as the starting left guard. That has been rookie Jared Wilson. The third-rounder opened the summer mixing in at center with Cole Strange at left guard, but...

The Tom Brady statue has arrived. You just can’t see it yet.

The New England Patriots on Thursday shared a teaser video of the Brady statue arriving at Gillette Stadium overnight. The clip, which doesn’t offer an actual view of the statue, was posted ahead of Friday’s official unveiling.

Take a look:

The Patriots will unveil the 12-foot statue on Friday during a ceremony scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET, roughly 90 minutes before New England kicks off with the Washington Commanders in a preseason matchup. The statue will be housed in the Patriot Place Plaza, adjacent to the...

The New England Patriots open their preseason schedule Friday when they host the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass.

The two teams held a joint practice Wednesday, highlighted by head coach Mike Vrabel walking away with a cut on his face after jumping into a pile to break up a fight.

All eyes continue to be on the development of quarterback Drake Maye, who’s looked sharp so far in training camp.

So what’s the biggest question facing the Patriots when they take the field Friday night?

“How does the offensive line hold up? Vrabel said all healthy players...

TEAM TALK

• Evan Lazar shares 12 takeaways from Wednesday’s joint practice: Drake Maye and the offense made their fair share of plays against a team that was in the NFC Championship Game a year ago. It wasn’t perfect, but the offensive line gave Maye time to operate, his receivers (mainly Douglas and Hollins) were getting open downfield and Maye was delivering accurate, on-time throws. More!
• Mike Dussault recaps the strong defensive performance against reigning NFL Offense Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels and the Commanders. *Christian Barmore was a disruptive force throughout, collapsing the pocket and helping blow...

If you had to build a defensive end in a lab, you probably would use Deatrich Wise Jr. as a blueprint. Not only does he measure 6-foot-5 and 271 yards, he also offers massive 35 5/8-inch arms.

His length is a defining feature of Wise Jr.’s game, and it played a part in him developing from former fourth-round draft pick to team captain in eight seasons with the New England Patriots. Now a member of the Washington Commanders, he continues to use it to put pressure on opposing offensive tackles.

During Wednesday’s joint practice between his current and former team,...

Returning after a three-year sabbatical that took him to Las Vegas and later the unemployment line, Josh McDaniels brought a familiar offense with him. While new wrinkles have been added, it bears a strong resemblance to the one he ran in his previous two stints as New England Patriots offensive coordinator.

For some players, that was a welcome sight. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and tight end Hunter Henry, for example, all have experience working under McDaniels. A majority of the team’s offensive roster, however, had not and was forced to adapt to a famously complex scheme....

As New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye dropped back for his first pass in Wednesday’s joint practice against the Washington Commanders, wide receiver DeMario Douglas came flying across the field from the quarterback’s right.

It was an easy completion that forecasted what was to come.

Two periods later, Maye started the drive by connecting with the third-year receiver on back-to-back crossers — this time with Douglas working from right-to-left. Against the Commanders’ secondary, Douglas was virtually uncoverable with the only thing stopping the duo being a dropped ball and then a tipped pass near the goal line.

“Pop, I think...

The New England Patriots welcomed the Washington Commanders to Gillette Stadium on Wednesday for what turned into an eventful two hours of work. The teams’ joint practice featured full pads and the intensity to match the outfit: the session was a physical and competitive one.

You can recap all the action here. And as always, here is a rundown of who caught our eyes for better or worse.

Standout of the day

QB Drake Maye: The Patriots’ starting quarterback, and indeed the entire team, can feel good about his overall body of work on Wednesday. Maye was in full...

Always a linebacker at heart, Mike Vrabel has never been afraid of getting his hands dirty at practice. Or, in the case of the New England Patriots’ joint session with the Washington Commanders, his face bloodied.

Following an 11-on-11 drill on Wednesday that ended in a scuffle between running back TreVeyon Henderson and Commanders defender Von Miller, Vrabel jumped right in to prevent the fight from escalating. When he emerged from the pile and got back to his feet, blood was running down his right cheek.

The wound, which appeared to have been the result of some friendly fire by...

It was a big day down at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday: the New England Patriots welcomed the Washington Commanders to town for a joint practice before their preseason game on Friday night. The session versus the 2024 NFC finalist provided a strong test for head coach Mike Vrabel’s club this summer.

Here is what went down throughout the day.

Setting

Attire: Full pads

Duration: ca. 120 minutes (10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. ET)

Conditions: Cloudy, temperatures in the mid 70s

To no surprise, the joint practice between the Patriots and Commanders featured full pads and ran just about two hours long....

You typically can bank on fights breaking out during NFL joint practices, but you don’t usually bet on those scraps involving head coaching.

Alas, most coaches aren’t like Mike Vrabel, who reportedly was bloodied during a dustup at Wednesday’s joint practice between the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders.

Here’s how MassLive’s Chris Mason broke it down:

“TreVeyon Henderson picked up a blitzer and took him to the ground violently. They started rolling/scrapping. Mike Vrabel physically jumped in to try to break it up. Will Campbell saw what was happening and dove on a defender. Scrum broke out. Vrabel bled.”...